Starting New
by EllieLover19
Summary: As Ellie moves into her new place, her recent departure from Marco begins to weigh heavily in her day to day life. Which makes it even harder to find suitable roommates, but when someone makes a surprising return, she may get more than a roommate. SELLIE.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This fic is set two months after "We Built This City". Though the degrassi graduates aren't the main focus, some are featured in the fic. **

**Summary: As Ellie moves into her new place, her recent departure from Marco begins to weigh heavily in her day to day life. Which makes it even harder to find suitable roommates as well as a new besty. But all hope isn't lost when two people from her past make a surprising return, she may get her perfect roommates and a little more in return... **

"I can't believe this is your place," Jimmy repeated for the millionth time after entering and re-entering the apartment. "It's huge. How are you paying for it?" he said, setting the box in his lap on the carpet.

"Well, those other two bedrooms aren't back there to take up space. I guess I'll have to start looking for roommates pretty soon." Ellie said. "Until then, my mom's offering half the rent and… I'll just have to get a job."

"Damn, your mom's income must be huge to offer half," came Spinner. Ellie smirked. She agreed; the place was huge and… expensive. Sometimes she even wondered how she got a hold of the place.

"Well, what about Marco? He's not moving into this stellar apartment as your second roommate?" Jimmy asked.

"Uh, well…" the mention of Marco's name nearly brought her to tears in an instant. She'd forgotten about him all day. "We'd both considered it, but stuff got brought up and…I guess we're taking a break from each other." As much as she tried to hide it, the sadness could still be heard in her voice. The reminder of their "little" talk no more than a week ago, settled the fire that rose when she set foot in her new place. Things just suddenly didn't feel the same without her buddy there. She loved both Jimmy and Spinner, but they weren't Marco.

His denied response to them moving in together played over and over again in her head ever since. True, she thought they needed time apart, but she didn't want to go through with the "separation".

He was her best friend. Who would she turn to now?

"Oh, so he didn't even wanna help you move?" Spinner asked, sitting on the kitchen counter next to Ellie.

"He wanted to, but Eric invited him to meet some relatives in Montreal. They'll be back in a couple of days."

"Huh. Well if yah need a roommate, I'm here."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I'm a great guy to live with. Check references."

"Your mom?" Jimmy murmured. Spinner shot a glance in his direction.

"No offense Spin, but you pretty much made our old place your personal hangout. I've seen how you live."

"Well, that was different. Yah know, cause you guys were usually cleaning up my messes. Here, I may actually clean… possibly "

"Not helping at all with my decision." Ellie giggled.

"Uh, what is this?" came Paige. Three boxes, stacked high in a pyramid form, were held tightly in her arms as she nearly stumbled into the apartment. "You're sitting around chatting and I'm doing all the work? And the three of you dare call me lazy?"

"Here, I'll get those." Spinner hopped down from the counter and made his way to save the damsel in the distress. He stacked two of the boxes in the far corner of the living room with the others.

"Thank you," the blonde cut her eyes to Ellie as she handed the remaining box to Spinner.

"Sorry," Ellie shrugged. "But you didn't show me much pity when I helped you move. Where's Griffin?"

"He went for pizza,"

"Yes. Food." Spinner cheered.

"Great I'm starving," Jimmy said, rubbing his hands together. "There anymore boxes?" he turned to Paige.

"Nope, that was the last of it."

"Sweet, then all we have to do is lay back and chill until the food gets here." Spinner insisted.

"Finally," Paige sighed. "My feet are…" she paused and began to look questionably around the apartment. "Um, Hun. Your place, it's lacking furniture."

"Yeah, I know."

"So?"

"So, me and my mom are heading to IKEA on Wednesday."

"So where do we chill?" Spinner, of course.

"Oh there's plenty of room on the floor."

…

After having a good laugh with friends, chatting, sharing pizza and listening to Spinner's horrible jokes, the gang had called it a night. It was around nine when they all decided to head out. Spinner and Jimmy were the first to leave, wishing Ellie luck and how much fun they had that night. Spinner went on to say something about a house warming party when she got the place together. He didn't mind if he was left out of the apartment arranging, but he wanted to be first on the invite list for the party.

Paige and Griffin left shortly after. Their supposed, hidden kisses and little glances they made throughout night suggested why they were quick to get back to Paige' place. They waved goodbye, Paige wished her good luck as well; adding on a "Hun" at the end of her sentence. Griffin and Ellie did their secret handshake; it was a little thing they came up with one day out of boredom. But unfortunately, they both remembered it. He wished her luck, and he and Paige were out. "Why don't we have a handshake?" Paige said as Ellie closed the door after them. She shook her head and laughed. "Paige, Paige, Paige," she whispered to herself.

Despite the fact that she was truly alone now, Ellie was happy; because now she got the chance to do something she wanted do all evening. She scurried over to the stack of boxes in the living room. She pushed them aside until she reached the box she was searching for. It was labeled _Personal_. She pulled the box away from the others and tore it open. She shuffled through the contents and found it. The picture she had taken with Marco back when they started their freshman year at the university. It was the only _more_ recent picture they had taken together, neither were really fond of cameras, but Marco thought it to be a good idea at the time. He didn't want her to feel lonely in the dorm, despite the fact that peppy Amberly would be there at all hours checking up on her; so the picture would always remind her of him. And 'til this day, it still does.

She wished he came today, she wished he moved in, she wished they wouldn't grow apart like he predicted… but it would happen. This was usually how everything started with the growing apart. He'd have a place to go; she'd have a place to go; pretty soon they' both be going in different places. It scared the crap out of her.

Ellie held the picture frame close to her, hoping it would fill the void that Marco emptied. As much as she wanted it to, the picture wasn't going to cut it.

What would fill that void?

Who would?

…

_I shouldn't be here, I know I shouldn't be here. But I'm back and I'm not going anywhere, not for a long time. I can't go there, I'm not ready to die for my country… I wanna be here with friends. People I love, people who actually care about me. This is the only place I can go where I feel at home. Know one can take that away. Know one. _

Sean Cameron set foot off the metro bus. "I'm back home."


	2. Chapter 2

The sudden pounding noise awoke both Emma and Manny immediately. They'd both fallen asleep on the couch about an hour ago to some black and white movie that played on TV Land. It was all part of their "Monday Movie Night Extravaganza" but this sudden visitor was unexpected. They looked to each other questionably.

"Who's that at this time?" Manny asked in a dazed voice.

"I don't know," Emma pushed the blanket from her legs and stood from the couch.

"Em, who's that?" Came her mom and Snake, blundering down the steps.

"I don't know," she repeated. Snake ordered for everyone to stay back and keep quiet. He slowly walked to the door.

"Who is it?" he asked in a deep, stern voice.

"Who do yah think?" the familiar voice responded.

"Sean?" he said.

"Sean?" both Emma and Manny repeated. Snake unlocked the door and pulled it open. Sure enough, there he stood; duffle bag in hand.

"Hey!" the boy greeted.

"Uh, hey." Was all Snake could muster up. Not that he wasn't glad to see him, he was just certain that he was supposed to be somewhere else.

"Sean?" Emma said, slowly approaching him.

"Hey Em," Sean entered the house and dropped his bag.

"Um, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Snake began as he closed the door. "I was about to ask the same thing."

"What do you mean? I'm back here."

"Yeah, but you kinda aren't supposed to be." Manny said. "Not that we'd rather you be there, it's just…"

"The army," came Spike.

"Yeah, unless you died and you're a ghost." Manny added.

"No, it's me. They, uh, they deported me back." Sean explained. Questionable looks still flew around the room. "I'm staying… for good."

"Um, wow… that's uh. Wow Sean, great." Emma hugged him. "That's great."

"You're serious? You're really back," Manny asked unsurely.

"Yeah," Sean said. It wasn't long until the little brunette joined the hug.

Neither Snake nor Spike were completely sold on Sean's explanation for his sudden return. They both gave each other looks.

…

"Okay, I know it's like midnight and my dad's probably gonna kill me when I get home, but I haven't seen you in forever. So you, me and Em have to go do something."

"Manny, what is there to do?" Sean laughed.

"I don't know; let's get a bite at one of those all night diners," the girl suggested.

Spike and Snake had relocated in the kitchen as the kids settled in the living room.

"Are you buying this?" Spike finally said. It took Snake a minute to respond.

"I don't know, I mean… I'm glad he's back, but… the army just doesn't deport soldiers back home. My brother served for a while; I should know at least that much."

"Yeah. What do you think happened? How did he… how could he have…"

"I don't know, I just hate to think he's a deserter."

"Should we talk to him?"

"Of course. We're gonna have to, but not now. Let 'em settle in for a while. Get something to eat with the girls; maybe a little rest. We'll talk to him about it eventually."

"Archie, if he's deserted the army then he's broken a law. Maybe a dozen. He could go to jail for life."

"I know, which is why we shouldn't come at him full on with this. Give him some time. We'll talk to him."

"Hey, we're headed out for a quick bite." Emma poked into the kitchen.

"Alright sweetie, be careful." Spike assured.

"What's going on with the long faces?" Emma asked. "Everything alright?"

"Just fine, Em. Go have fun," Snake said, almost as an order.

"Okay." Emma left the kitchen and she, Manny and Sean were out the door shortly after.

"Archie," Spike murmured.

"We'll talk to him," Snake reassured. Although he knew his wife wasn't in full agreement with his plan… and he wasn't too confident in it as well.

**Review Please! **


	3. Chapter 3

**The Next Day**

She sat there sulking, her misery a public eye sore to everyone in the restaurant. She continued to mash her pancakes with the fork, hoping the mess would some how entertain her. Nothing could get her spirits up, not even Paige's brilliant plan to "brunch".

"So, you enjoying the food?" Paige asked, hoping to get a rise out of the redhead.

"Yeah, sure," Ellie sighed, staring blankly at her plate of untouched food.

"Uh… I think the chef did a great job with my omelet."

"Yeah," Ellie replied dully.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore. A sloth has more enthusiasm than you at an evening brunch. Snap out of it."

"What?"

"You is what. You seemed down when I talked to you on the phone this morning. I try to cheer you up with brunch, but you're not budging. I try to make conversation and you're just sitting there playing with your food. What gives? You seemed completely normal yesterday."

"Paige, I'm just not into it. I don't want brunch, I don't wanna make conversation. I just…" Ellie paused.

"What?"

"I just want my best friend. That's all. I miss talking to him, I miss seeing him, I miss sharing every detail of my day with him."

"Ellie, you and Marco will always be best friends. No matter what. Just because you guys are, I don't know, taking a break or whatever, doesn't mean you won't have time for each other."

"I know, it's just weird; us not seeing each other 24/7. I mean, it's not like I can't live my life without him, I'm just so used to us being together. And now that I'm moving into this new place… being on my own, I'm kinda feeling lonely."

"Well, that's what roomies are for, yah know. Get the place together, put out cheesy "Roommates Wanted" flyers; you'll be sharing that big place with someone in no time. If you find the right people."

"It wouldn't be the same." Ellie sighed. Paige gave her a look. "But I guess you're right," Ellie quickly added. "The quicker I get the place together, the quicker I can start looking for roomies. Nice people. Sane people."

"Exactly,"

"Things will get better."

"Right,"

"Things will get better,"

…

**Later **

"Dinner was great Mr. S, thanks." Sean said as he scrubbed a plate at the kitchen sink.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Snake smirked. He gathered the remaining dishes and brought them to the sink. "And thanks for offering to do the dishes; they never give me a break around here."

"No problem, it's the least I can do."

"Well, when you're done just set them on the drying rack and I'll arrange them later."

"Oh, don't sweat it. I'll take care of it."

"Huh. Well, great. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Sean sniggered.

"Archie," Spike called as she entered the kitchen. "Oh, hi Sean. I thought you were out with the girls."

"Nope, I decided to stay back and help Mr. S with the cleaning."

"Oh, thank you Sean." Spike briefly smiled. She turned to her husband. "Um, can I talk to you in the living room?"

"Sure," Snake nodded to Sean and quickly followed his wife to the living room. "What's up?"

"Look, I know it's only been a day, and I know he hasn't been a burden on us or anything, but I can't take it anymore." Spike whispered. "Ever since last night, I've been trying hard to keep my mouth closed about it, but I can't anymore. I need you to talk to him."

"This again?" Snake sighed.

"Yes, this again. Archie, I can't…"

"Well what if he's telling the truth, what if they did deport him back."

"Excuse me?" the woman folded her arms. "Just last night we were on the same boat."

"I know, it's just… don't you think if he deserted the army, we would've gotten a call or… heard it on the news. It's not really a common thing to happen."

"Look, I know you care about him and I know you wouldn't want anything to happen, but this is serious. We can't protect him from the commitment he made."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Well you sure as hell aren't acting like it."

"Spike,"

"No. I am giving you one more day to talk to him. One more day to get this all straighten out. If you don't… then I'll be doing the talking."

"Fine. I'll, I'll talk to him."

"Make sure you do," Spike started up the steps, leaving an uneasy Snake to his messy thoughts.

…

Sean stood just around the corner. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he digested the entire conversation.

_One more day. _

_One more day._

Tonight, he'd have to run.


	4. Chapter 4

Sean hurriedly stuffed his things in the duffle bag. Quietly but swiftly, making sure he didn't wake anyone. It was one in the morning and everyone had turned in a few hours ago. Sean couldn't risk packing too early and someone coming downstairs, for whatever reason, and catching him in the act.

He tip toed to the kitchen and grabbed a few snacks from the counter; stuff that had barely been eaten. He knew how Snake felt about junk food, and how rarely he or anyone else in the house ate chips or candy bars. Except when Manny visited. Sean would have to be completely prepared with everything; clothing, food…money.

"Oh God," he whispered after coming to the realization. He'd need money; to find a place, get out of town. And he'd remembered seeing Simpson carelessly leave his wallet on the coffee table that evening. Credit cards, dollar bills; all were at his disposal.

But wait, he couldn't steal from Simpson, he might've been the closest thing to a father he's ever had. He took him in, fed him, treated him like he was his own no matter how many times he screwed up. Simpson knew the truth as soon as he arrived at his doorstep, but despite what he knew, he took him in anyway. He couldn't steal from Mr. S…but how else would he get the money?

_Simpson would understand, right?_

Just when Sean thought to grab for the wallet, that's when he heard the footsteps.

"Sean?" he heard her faint voice call. It was Emma.

**…**

"Great plan, leave Ajax at eleven and can't see a damn thing at one in the morning. Good going" the girl said as she winced to see the dark road. The headlights weren't much help; she was driving an old Cadillac that hadn't seen the open road in ages. Courtesy of the back lot of her cousin's restaurant. The headlights were fading and so was her view of the road. But luckily, streetlights were coming into view, which meant she was probably getting closer into town. It was way too late to make the stop she wanted to make, so she'd probably just check-in to a motel for the night.

…

"Just one, one of me. Just for the night,"

"Reservation under the name?" the woman at the front desk asked plainly.

"Nunez. Alex Nunez." The girl smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sean?" she whispered, walking slowly into the living room. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, well…I" he turned to face her; trying his best to block her view of his packed duffle bag. She unfortunately saw right around him.

"You're leaving." She said.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. I…I found a place." He stammered.

"Where are you going this time?" she asked forwardly, her tone stern. "Back to Wasaga?"

"Em, you don't…"

"The Peace Corp?"

"Emma,"

"Or are you just running away because my parents know you deserted the army?"

"I…" he gave the girl a look. "How did you…"

"The night you got here, I heard them talking in the kitchen. So where are you going?" She glared at him hard. For a second, Sean thought she'd burn a hole through his skull if he made any sudden movements.

He stood there for a moment, nervously scratching his scalp as he tried to come up with an excuse.

"Why didn't you tell me," Emma asked.

"I…" he looked to her. She stared at him, waiting for an explanation. "The day I left… you just seemed so proud of me, all of you did. I didn't wanna disappoint anyone."

"Well how do you think we feel now?"

"You? How about how I felt? I signed on to protect my country... I signed on to risk my life, maybe even die. I couldn't go through with it… when have I ever gone through with anything? I'm Sean, A Waste of Life Cameron."

"You're not, you were just scared."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell that to the judge." Sean sat down on the couch, continuing to brush through his messy hair. He thought for a moment as Emma continued to glare at him.

He stopped fidgeting with his hair and cupped his hands in his lap. "In the time I was there, I became somewhat of friends with this guy, Daniels. Didn't know his first name, he usually introduced himself by his last name. He was a cool guy, always telling jokes, making people laugh; everyone loved him. He talked about how he couldn't wait to get back home and see his girlfriend, his mother; we'd barely been there for a week and he was already prepared to go home. But as much as he wanted to go home, he knew he made a commitment, something he couldn't break." Sean looked up at Emma; he had a feeling she knew where this was going. "He said we'd all get through this. Pretty soon we'd be home in our comforting beds, ready for nighty night stories on the Cinemax late night block." He giggled at the last bit, Emma gave a solemn half smile. "A few weeks later, his squad was called out to escort a General on a peace keeping mission. They were ambushed, and only three men survived." Sean's voice began to tremble, the tears were beginning to fall. "Daniels…wasn't one of them." He cried, the tears came down fast and painfully. Flashes of Daniels swept by his mind. The day he received the news of his unfortunate death played over and over again in his head.

Emma rushed to his side and put her arms around him, he buried his face in his hands. "I believed him; I believed that we'd make it through all of it." He nearly sobbed, trying hard to keep the tears from coming. "I didn't wanna wait for it to happen to me; I just couldn't stay there. One night, a helicarrier was going back to the U.S. to get some supplies. I stowed away and ended up here. I got enough money to take a train into the city… and now I'm sitting next to you." The reminder of him being back home calmed him a bit, but the decision he still had to make frightened him. The tears settled a bit once he looked to Emma. "Pretty wimpish of me, huh?" he sniffed.

"No, but I don't think it was wise of you to leave like that."

"I guess you think I should go to county and confess,"

Emma stared at him for a while before responding. "Look, ever since the day you told me you were going into the army, I thought it was a stupid idea. Till this day, I still think it's stupid. But, when you came back that day, from training, I saw the commitment in your eyes. How proud you were to be doing something you believed was right. When you left, I felt for you so bad and I wished you the best. And if it were up to me right now, I'd want you go back and keep that commitment. But you can't, you've crossed a line. I understand you were scared, I was scared for you too but that doesn't mean you should break your promise."

"So you want me to confess?"

"I want you to do what you think is right for you. Whether that's confessing… or staying on the run. You could probably get away with it, but it wouldn't be the right thing to do."

They sat there for a moment, looking at each other. He saw the wisdom and truth in her eyes; she saw the confusion and frustration in his.

In that split second, Sean knew what he was going to do. His mind was made up.

…

This was what he wanted to do; he felt it was the right thing to do. Emma was right, he made a promise, a promise he couldn't break. He'd go through with this. He'd finally go through with something, and that made him proud. So why did he have this enormous knot in his stomach, why did his decision make him cringe?

Because deep down inside, he knew it was the wrong thing to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Next Day**

"Wow, who knew furniture shopping could be so…extravagant." Paige said, following Ellie and Mrs. Nash into the apartment complex.

"Oh right, your place came fully equipped with home furnishing." Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it's not my fault my dad had the place fully furnished before I moved in. Besides, it's not like I totally love the décor." Paige insisted. Ellie gave her a look. "Maybe it's not that bad."

"Well, I'll tell you both." Came Mrs. Nash as she closed the door. "You have it lucky. There weren't apartments as fancy like this, or dorms rooms as nice and clean as the ones over at the university when I attended U of T. Furniture hunting should be the least of your problems."

"Especially if you have parents like mine." Paige delightfully sighed. "Thanks again Mrs. Nash for inviting me today. I had a blast, despite the fact that Ellie tagged along." Paige playfully nudged the redhead, smirking. Ellie mockingly smiled back.

"Oh don't mention it Paige; I always thought you had great taste."

"Really?" Paige said, giving Ellie a look. "Why thank you, how sweet. It's just too bad I couldn't persuade your daughter from buying that horrible, pale green furniture set."

"I picked that out," Mrs. Nash defensively replied, slightly frowning.

"Oh…well in that case it was a beautiful choice. I'm sure it'll look great…somewhere in this apartment." Paige looked away, avoiding the awkward glare Mrs. Nash was giving her. Ellie giggled.

"In any case," Mrs. Nash said, turning to her daughter. "The moving guys said the furniture would be here in 2 to the 3 weeks, which gives you plenty of time to look for a job,"

"Yippee, a job." Ellie said unenthusiastically.

"Either a job, or roommates who are bold and rich enough to pay this place off. Don't expect me to do all of it. You'll need someone to help you take care of this place."

"Couldn't I just get a job that pays well instead?"

"Eleanor, why are you so against getting roommates. I think it'll be a great experience for you."

"Mom, I've had roommates before."

"There you go, it was experience."

"Yeah, but I lived with friends… and Paige."

"Uh… hello, standing right here." Paige waved a hand.

"I just wish I could live with someone I knew, that's all. Strangers just moving in seem… strange."

"What about Marco?"

"He, uh… he got caught up with other stuff. Besides, he's living on campus this year." Ellie looked to her shoes as she mentioned Marco. It still hurt to talk about him.

"Well if you're concerned about strangers than schedule interviews for all the people who wanna move. Get to know them; it might put you at ease of who you choose."

"That's great. I'll even help with the interviews and get you some flyers around town." Paige offered.

"See, the funny thing is, I thought when we moved out I'd never see you again. But unfortunately I see you every day. Why is that?"

"Cause without me," Paige placed hand around the girl's shoulder. "You're just a quirky, little redhead without spunk in her life. I complete you."

…

Alex didn't get much sleep the previous night. She stayed up flipping through channels, hoping to find something good on t.v; then she remembered two hours had past since midnight. Nothing was on, with the exception of crappy infomercials and the slap stick humor of the Three Stooges. She chose The Stooges. Luckily for her, it was an all night marathon. The show kept her company until she decided to drift off around three.

Checkout time was at noon, 12 to be exact, Alex woke up around 8. For some reason, she couldn't get back to sleep. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing her friends again that woke her; maybe it was the painful thought of them rejecting her once she knocked on their door. Alex realized she didn't pull her weight very often around the house while she was a "guest". Hopefully they could forgive that.

Despite her last meeting with Paige, she hoped things would be okay between them. She didn't come back to win her over, she just wanted to visit home for a few days. What better way to make a comeback than to visit old friends?

At around 10:30, Alex got ready. Her morning was spent watching kiddie shows on the PBS network. After getting showered and dressed, she packed away her hygiene materials and headed to the front desk. She dropped off the room key and headed back on the road.

After a few minutes of driving through town, she finally reached the university residential area. The off campus houses sat on either side of the streets. The sorority and fraternity houses stood in a row only a few blocks away from one another. Alex breezed through neighborhood as if she lived in the area herself. She didn't forget a single detail. Minutes later, she came to the lot.

The familiar house sat their in a corner of its own. Nothing about it had changed; the window hinges needed a paint job that was all. But everything else seemed the same.

Alex basked at it for a moment through the open car window until she finally built up the courage to get out and ring the doorbell.

She stood on the stoop, waiting for someone to answer the door. A moment later, it swung open. An unfamiliar brunette stood in the doorway, she looked at Alex questionably.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Uh… hi. My name's Alex. I'm looking for the owners of the house. A Michalchuk or a Nash?"

"Okay. Who are those people?" the girl said.

"The house owners," Alex made a face.

"I'm the house owner, well me and a friend."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm standing here aren't I?"

"Yeah…but not too long ago those people were here. Paige Michalchuk, Ellie Nash, Marco Del Rossi."

"Okay. Well, they probably moved out sweetie. The Dean said this place was available for at least two months before we bought it."

"Moved out?" Alex repeated, as if it were the only words spoken.

"Yeah."

"Do you know where they are now?"

"Why would I?"

"I…I um. I guess you wouldn't. Okay. Sorry for disturbing you."

"Whatever." The girl shut the door without further recognition. Her rudeness didn't seem to faze Alex; the words "moved out" continued to linger in her head.

"Moved out?" she said again, slightly frowning. She headed back to the car, looking to her shoes. "Moved out?"

"They moved out?" came a familiar. Alex looked up. "Damn."

It was Sean Cameron.

…


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay, what do you want your flyers to say?" Paige sat at the kitchen counter. Her laptop propped up in front of her, her fingers ready to fiddle with the keys. Ellie stood over her shoulder, thinking of the right pitch for the flyers.

"How about…" came Spinner, who was tossing a nerf football across the living room to Jimmy. They'd decided to come over and hangout, see if Ellie needed anymore help with unpacking. Ellie assured them that no further unpacking would be commenced until the furniture arrived. Just clothing and hygiene stuff was all she needed at the moment.

"Hot girl. Hot apartment. Want a piece of it all? Come live here." Spinner suggested.

"Spin, I think she's trying to encourage more saner people to audition. Sex crazed pervs who are looking for a place to crash aren't gonna cut it." Jimmy said, tossing the football back to his friend.

"Yeah, I'm with Jimmy." Paige said. "The saner the better.

"But, it's nice to know you're trying to help." Ellie said.

"Ha, I'm helping." Spinner turned to Jimmy. "5 points for me. See if you can do better." He tossed the ball back.

"Alright." Jimmy caught the ball and sat it in his lap. "I got one for you."

"I'm listening." Ellie folded her arms.

"Luxurious, uptown apartment. Three bed, three bath. Spacious kitchen and living room. Ellie Nash (put in picture), attendant of U of T, will be at (give address) to greet and interview and see if you are qualified to fill her roommate slots. Recipients should preferably be starting their freshmen year at U of T or continuing on to there sophomore or junior year." Jimmy leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. He couldn't help but smile.

"Huh. Jimmy that was…great. Perfect. Paige did you get all of that?" Ellie said looking back at the computer screen.

"Every word. Just need to do some editing concerning the rent and you're good to go."

"That was easy. Thanks Jimmy," Ellie smiled.

"No problem. Oh, my friend." Jimmy tossed the ball to Spinner. "That's 10 points for me."

…

"Not that I'm not happy to see you…but what the hell are you doing here?" Alex said, driving down the highway, Sean in the passenger seat. "I thought you were off fighting the good fight."

"Changed my mind," Sean casually shrugged.

"Hmm…so why were you looking for Marco and Ellie?"

"Needed a place to stay, thought they had enough room."

"The Simpson/Nelson clan got another toddler crawling around?"

"No, I just…didn't wanna get in their way."

"That's a first."

"Look, you can drop me off at a gas station."

"No, no." Alex giggled. "Chill, I'm joking with you. It's been a while; I'm just testing your reflexes."

"Yeah, whatever. So what have you been up to?"

"Not much, just navigating my way around town. I went out to Ajax a few months ago and moved in with a relative. Noting major."

"Wait weren't you bunking with…"

"Yeah, not very long though. Things weren't working out, so I left."

"Sorry."

"Oh don't be. I've got it pretty good in Ajax. I'm making money, I've got friends. Things are great."

"Well good for you."

"Thanks. So what about you? Basic training didn't go so well?"

"I guess you could say that."

…

"Ah," Snake yawned, sluggishly making his way downstairs. "Morning, Em."

"Morning," she said, fidgeting uncomfortably on the couch.

"You're up early,"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep much."

"You feeling okay?" Snake asked walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." She lied. She was wondering how long it'd take him to realize Sean was gone. "I just wasn't all that sleepy."

"Well, do yah want some breakfast? I'm gonna try crepes this morning."

"I'm not really hungry."

"You sure you're not…" he paused. Emma looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. Snake had caught on. "Where's Sean?"

…


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: So sorry for the delay. Just been busy and forgetful. **

"Alright troops," Paige began, holding the stack of flyers in her arms. Ellie, Spinner, and Griffin stood side by side in a row, Jimmy in his chair next to Ellie. Knowing Paige, she probably meant for this whole setting to play out. Military style. She was the General, walking up and down the row, announcing the evening regimen. The others were the cadets, ready to obey any orders.

"These flyers," she continued. "Need to be every where. Every community center. Shopping square. Mall. Metro Station. This whole city needs to be covered in these little flyers." Paige said, giving Spinner a glare. She was no stranger to his lazy persona.

"What?" Spinner said.

"Anyway," Paige started back.

"Uh, babe. Excuse me," Griffin raised a hand, interrupting.

"Yes sweetie." Paige nodded.

"You called me here to help pass out flyers?" he said.

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" she said, glaring at him.

"Oh no, no," he quickly replied, noticing the look. "Not at all."

"Good." Paige went back to her announcement.

"Dude," Spinner whispered, leaning over to Griffin. "You're whipped." He snorted. Griffin cut his eyes back to Paige.

"So, here's how things are gonna go. Spinner, you and Jimmy with take the south side of town. Jimmy, please make sure there's no lagging out of him." Paige said. Jimmy nodded, Spinner rolled his eyes.

"Ellie, you and Griffin with take the north end of town. I'll secure the east and west divisions."

"And who'll be helping you?" Ellie piped up.

"Hun, I work better alone. Trust me."

"Hmm, excuse me." Ellie murmured.

"We'll meet back here at fourteen hundred hours." Paige concluded.

"Come again," Jimmy raised a hand.

"Two o'clock." Paige sighed. "Okay, chop, chop. Each group receives 80 flyers." Paige said, passing out an amount of flyers to Jimmy.

"Uh, Paige. Can I -?" Ellie stepped forward, her hand raised.

"Ellie," Paige called.

"The place is kinda mine. Shouldn't I give an input?"

"Oh, of course. Is there anything you'd like to add, Hun?" Paige handed Griffin an equal mound of flyers.

"Uh…" Ellie said, thinking of anything.

"Well?"

"Um…never mind."

"That's what I thought. Now let's get going everyone." Paige held the remaining flyers in her arms as they all filed out of the apartment.

…

"So she _thought_ she was pregnant," Alex corrected herself.

"Yep," Sean said, leaned back in his chair, arms folded.

"But she wasn't?"

"Right."

"And you were ready to take full responsibility?"

"Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"No it's just… things have changed. Nelson's getting her freak on, you're a responsible boy scout now, and the Breakfast Club have moved headquarters."

"Yeah, yeah everything's…changing," Sean nodded. _Minus the me being responsible part_, he thought.

"Geez, it's like the freakin' Twilight Zone." Alex said. "I can it now. Next episode, Jay Hogart and Manny Santos dating." Alex did a stern announcer man voice. "What's he been up to anyway?" she asked after sharing a laugh with herself.

"Um…dating Manny."

"Sean it was a joke."

"I'm not joking."

"Wh- … are you serious?"

"Emma said they were, for a while actually. They were engaged at one point."

"Huh,"

"But they're over. Promise."

"Wow, I have missed a lot."

"The Dot hasn't changed. The place looks like it's held up pretty well without us." Sean joked.

"Guess this is the only thing that hasn't changed." Alex said, examining the dinner. "I see your appetite sure has though. You didn't eat a thing." Alex's eyes fell to Sean's uneaten burger. "Is everything alright? You've kinda been out it since we left the campus."

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just not all that hungry."

"Okay well, let me get the bill and we can head out of here."

"I'll pay you back."

"No, it's fine. Really."

…

After settling the bill, Alex and Sean left the diner. Alex led the way to the car along the sidewalk. Sean, who was talking to Alex ahead of him, accidentally bumped into a bushy haired guy who held a stack of papers in his arms.

"Excuse me," they both muttered. The guy stood on the curb entrance of the Dot, next to what Sean guessed was his car. A girl was bent over in the back seat gathering something from the car floor. Sean heard the guy mumble something to her before he and Alex reached her car. They strapped in. Alex started up the engine and pulled off.

…

"So she doesn't annoy you in the slightest?" Ellie asked, closing the backseat door with her free hand as she joined Griffin on the curb. She held tape and a stapler in the other hand.

"Not at all. She drives me crazy at times, but that just makes me even crazier for her." Griffin said.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"That's kinda sweet."

"Did you just say sweet?"

"Yeah, I really did."

"Hmm,"

"Keep a secret?"

"Sure," Griffin shrugged.

"I've kinda been jealous of you guys."

"Excuse me?"

"You two just seem so…happy. I don't even know where to begin with my history with guys but… things just never really worked out. There was this one guy, it…"

"Marco?"

"No, someone else. I thought it would've lasted forever. Silly high school girl fantasy thing." Ellie shrugged. "I've just never really thought about him, until now. Seeing you and Paige, you two kinda remind me of …how we were."

"You'll find somebody. You're cute, you're smart, funny. It'll happen and you both will be happy." Griffin smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Okay, let's get these flyers up." Ellie said. She and Griffin headed into the diner.

**Review Please!**


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